Relocation of my blog...

Dear parents and readers,

I apologise for the long absence on this blog. Yes, I’m still alive and kicking, and am still giving tuition. 😊 I regret to inform everyone earlier on that I’ve relocated the blog to learnwithmsseow.wordpress.com. Alternatively, I can be found on Facebook, under the page ‘Learning at Ms Seow’s’. My wordpress posts are uploaded there as well.

Cheers! Hope to see you in my current space!
Have a blessed week,
Ms Rebecca Seow

~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

SA2 Revision Series

Ms Seow will be opening 2 classes of SA2 revision series to equip P3 and P4 pupils with the necessary skills to handle the examinations with confidence.

These classes are for pupils who already have a grasp of the Mathematics syllabus through self-learning or tuition. They will serve to supplement and empower what they have already learnt.

Each lesson is thoughtfully planned and creatively crafted. It comprises:
- Study notes with tips to make the recall of learning simple and direct
- A mini-test to assess pupils of the understanding of core concepts and algorithms
- Selected word problems from Top 10 Schools to guide pupils in recognising and handling question types


Topics covered include the following:

Primary 3
1) Multiplication and division
2) Decimals
3) Fractions
4) Area and perimeter
5) Time
Primary 4
1) Whole numbers
2) Fractions
3) Decimals
4) Time
5) Angles


The dates are as follows

P3	4 Oct, 11 Oct, 18 Oct, 25 Oct and 8 Nov 2013	4 – 6 pm
P4	7 Oct, 14 Oct, 21 Oct, 28 Oct and 7 Nov 2013

Call Ms Seow at 97623699 today to reserve a place for your child!

~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

Tangram Exhibition at Changi Airport Terminal 3

After having a hearty dinner with my family at Changi Airport, we chanced upon a mini exhibition at Terminal 3 about Tangrams. Tangrams is a popular activity that children play, forming figures out of shapes.

Here's a short write-up on what Tangrams are:

The tangram as an invention is not recorded in history.The earliest known Chinese book is dated 1813 but the puzzle was already very old by then. At that time it was considered a game for women and children.
Tangrams became very popular during the 19th century in Europe and America. This happened as trade with China opened up and  sailors brought home new amusements they discovered during their travels. It is said that Tangram translated from Old English is "puzzle" or "trinket.
Source: http://www.my-ecoach.com/modules/custombuilder/popup_printable.php?id=12485

Here's a website that you might like to try your hands on at forming shapes with a tangram! :) Enjoy...
http://www.kidscom.com/games/tangram/tangram.html

~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

The 'Can Do' Mindset

Whilst going through the notes of some of the workshops I sat in years ago, I stumbled upon something that I wrote:

"Students live up to the expectations of teachers. Therefore, a teacher's behaviour towards the child will encourage the behaviour."

The words struck me as it jolted my memory of how I have set expectations on my own pupils. As humans, we all want others to think of us as abled people, having the ability to perform and learn independently. As humans who interact with others, it is inevitable that we may have unjust / unreasonable expectations on our pupils and this indirectly affects their motivation.

What behaviour do I want to encourage in my pupil? If my pupil were to live up to my expectations, would it be a positive or negative expectation that I am placing on him? Have I stumbled any pupil because of unreasonable expectations? How can I motivate a pupil whose motivation is already marred by an unreasonable expectation set by another?

Personally, the belief that any pupil who genuinely wants to try is already putting in effort is crucial. The pupil needs to know that you recognise that of him. Placing effort to try may come easier for some than others, yet it ought not be belittled by the teacher. It is still an effort. Based on that effort, this intrinsic motivation can be further encouraged through kind words of praise and setting of a personal goal to better in the coming attempt. Small steps lead to bigger ones... and eventually to the biggest dreams that once seemed impossible.

Recently, 2 pupils from my P6 Maths class were stunned when I shared with them that they can and have the ability to attain the grades they have never dreamt of, as long as they dared to. They were surprised that I had such hope and expectation on them. How? Of course that could not be achieved by plain talk. Exposure and problem solving skills have to be refined from time to time. Carelessness has to be minimised through thorough checking and adequate rest. The list goes on. They realised that it is not impossble to achieve. Not just self assurance and confidence but that given of the teacher is what is needed too in the spirit of motivation. I still believe that they can achieve what they have set themselves to. :)

Regardless of the pupil, motivation is a process that cannot be rushed. Yet it cannot take just one to clap. Both the teacher and the pupil need to have that 'can do' mindset. This principle applies to parents and their children too. Try it and you might just discover a miracle in your child!


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

Seeing the Big Picture in Mensuration Questions

In Mathematics, the topic that uses much of creativity is that of Mensuration. When encountered in lower primary, pupils are just introduced to shapes and simple properties of shapes. Then comes primary 4 where they are introduced to composite figures and pupils are required to find the area and perimeter of such figures. Progressing on to primary 5 and 6, pupils are faced with that of triangles and circles. With such a 'variety' of shapes and composite figures, the challenge that most pupils face is that of 'Oh, I know how to do this question, but it's going to be many steps'. Next, they set themselves to work out the problem. One method would be to step back and analyse the figure before attempting to solve it right away. No doubt, a question on a straightforward composite figure may seem pretty obvious to most pupils, yet I would suggest they hold back computing the answer right away. Instead, spend about 30 seconds writing down the 'big picture' of how exactly to go about solving the problem.


Let's take the question below for example: (Source: Ai Tong School SA1, 2010)

Instead of delving into solving and computing the answer for the question, a big picture written at the top of your working space would be:
Area of shaded figure = Area of circle of radius 7cm + (Area of rectangle 7cm by 7cm - Area of Circle of radius 7cm)
                                 = Area of rectangle 14cm by 14cm
                                 = 198 square cm
This enables the pupil to see the question more clearly before solving it and preventing the pupil from making any unnecessary careless mistakes along the way. In the case of the above, it can also help the pupil see that, actually finding the area of circle of radius 7cm is redundant. :)


Try it! You would be surprised that it takes you less time as compared to having to remember all the steps in this big picture in your mind and slowly work it out.


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

The Greatest Love of All

While preparing for tuition the night before, I came across a song that played on radio and was entitled 'The Greatest Love of All' by Whitney Houston.


The Greatest Love of All (Whitney Houston)


The lyrics of the song goes like this:


I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be Everybody searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

[Chorus:]
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all

And if by chance, that special place
That you've been dreaming of
Leads you to a lonely place
Find your strength in love


The lyrics of this song speak of a potential everyone has to do well in something. I thought that the stanza was especially meaningful to all teachers out there, whether school teachers, educators, tutors or even parents. You are all teachers in one way or other. It is a timely reminder not to let the busyness of teaching them go ahead of our calling to teach the children / pupils well and allow them to soar to heights.


Regardless of the type of child / pupil, be it hardworking, quiet, inquisitive, rebellious or even apathetic, all of them have one need in common, which is to feel loved and be given confidence by their teachers. I can attest to that, after taking on a few batches of pupils.


This song reminds me of the a particular batch of pupils I took back in school, and it was a tough year for both myself and my pupils as I was rather new to the profession and they had a rough patch with their former class teacher. They had been put down by almost everyone in school because they were known as 'notorious'. When I took over the class, fights and quarrels amongst the classmates were an everyday affair. It took close to 4 months of getting to know them, encouraging them, counselling them and having lunches and tea breaks with them before they started to break the ice to share of their hurts and how difficult they found accepting themselves. I realised through knowing of the class that they did not wish to be like that and what they were searching for was for someone to believe in them that they can be better, that they are not what others thought of them as being unruly. I was glad that I did not judge them and instead gave them a sense of pride through believing in them. Their behaviour changed for the better towards the end of the year. Though I wished I had taught them for another year, I was just as glad that their new teacher the following year was also a teacher who believed in each and every one of them, showing them who they are and to accept themselves.


It's never too late to be that someone where your child can look up to, such that as much as they depend on themselves to achieve, they know that they are striving to do the ones they look up to proud. :)


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~

Gearing Up for Oral Examinations

For the past 4 weeks, my pupils have been preparing steadily for their oral exams, most of which should be starting either this week or next. I realised that unless there is adequate and right practice, it is almost impossible for them to have the confidence to handle this component. Of all the components of the English paper, the Oral examination, apart from Listening Comprehension, is the easiest to score. So long as pupils are able to maintain fluency in reading, discuss a picture not just in description but in depth, giving personal opinions and insights, and able to hold a conversation for 2-3 minutes, they would be well on their way to at least a 20/30 score for Oral.


How then to practice for Oral Reading? Get yourself prepared with a voice recorder to record your voice into it while reading. Then, using a critical point of view as listener, pick out areas that was well read and areas of improvement. Go through the passage again silently. Re-record the reading and compare the differences with the first reading. Your second reading should be better than the first.


Recording and critiquing one's reading can be time consuming yet it reaps much benefits. Not only do you get to listen to your very own honest feedback on reading, you know best on the mistakes you have made. Having a tutor beside to listen and give feedback is important too and she will guide you on the nuances of pronunciation as well as loopholes in reading pertaining to pitch, expression and even some non-verbal actions that are deemed unnecessary (for example, using fingers to point at every word being read or holding the passage too close to the face till pronunciation gets muffled).


How about Picture Discussion? Note that this section is no longer called 'picture description' but 'discussion', meaning that you need to focus not only on breadth but depth of reading into the picture. Strategies such as DIE and DCP have been used in some schools to frame a structure for pupils to follow such that their discussion becomes more balanced and insightful.


Finally, the third component of oral consists of the Conversation section, and there is no trick to this except to be honest in your sharing. In the case where the question posed does not apply to you, do let the examiner know and attempt to share a similar experience that you have gone through. This would show flexibility in handling the question as well as an effort to engage with the examiner. Never give one-word answers and wait for the examiner to further prompt you as this reflects a lack of initiative on your part.


Above all, be at peace with yourself before and during the examination. Be assured that you have had adequate practice and give your best 5 minute shot. Confidence can work wonders!


You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'
Eleanor Roosevelt
For more information on how to excel in oral, especially that of using DIE and DCP in picture discussion, feel free to drop me an email. Lessons on oral are available as well and you will be able to see significant results in putting these strategies into practice right from the first lesson!! :)


~ Learning, like teaching, is a work of heart ~